Meet Garrett Scahill | Partner/COO, Vail Brewing Company

We had the good fortune of connecting with Garrett Scahill and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Garrett, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial drive. To be honest, I was never a great employee. I always thought I had a better way of doing a job or a way to make it more efficient. When I moved to Vail, CO, I knew it was going to be difficult to make a living outside of a “city”, especially in a mountain town in Colorado. I spent many years as a professional ski coach, worked in restaurants, breweries, ski shops, and construction. Prior to starting Vail Brewing Company, I co-founded a Real Estate and Property Management company and then helped my wife start a landscape business. The idea of starting Vail Brewing Co. came after my second child was born. I was traveling a lot during the winters coaching and knew I needed to be home more. My wife asked me what I wanted to do… and I thought long and hard about this. I had always had a passion for home brewing which started in college at the University of New Hampshire. I saw an opportunity to start a brewery in Vail, and went to work on a business plan and the search for partners. To give me the extra confidence I needed, I went to Chicago and studied brewing technology at Siebel Institute. Within the following year Vail Brewing Co. was established.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Vail Brewing Company was started in 2014 in about 2500 sqft. with a 10bbl brewhouse. Our growth has been organic and focused on our surrounding community. Our focus is to make high quality and approachable beers that appeal to many different people, whether visiting from around the world or our locals. We sponsor and donate to many different local organizations and charities throughout the year. Maintaining relationships with these organizations, vendors, and customers is important to their success, as well as, ours. I believe our employees are like a family, we all pitch in to help with different aspects of the brewery and tap rooms. Like in any business, our employees are the most important part of our success. They are the ones that keep things running and are the faces of the business. In an industry flooded with competing brands, we understand that quality, consistency, and customer service are paramount. This is a main driver for me and our team at VBC. We have also been lucky enough to win multiple awards at the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup, and other competitions. This helps to drive home the fact that we care about what we make and gives us validation when we need it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Vail and the surrounding towns have been known to be a destination for skiers and snowboarders for years. In the winter, the mountain resorts of Vail and Beaver Creek offer up incredible skiing for all abilities, as well as, great food and lodging. Many locals say they moved here for the winters, but ended up staying for the summer and I couldn’t agree more. If I had some friends or family coming to visit for a week I would definitely take them rafting on the Colorado River, Mountain Biking in Eagle and Avon, and hiking in East Vail. If you wanted to get out of the valley for a day, I would recommend taking a drive up to the tiny mining town of Red Cliff, but first stopping to check out the eclectic town of Minturn. You’ll pass by the ghost town of Gilman on the way and have incredible views of Mount of the Holy Cross (14er). If you have it in you, go for a hike up to Missouri Lakes near Homestake Reservoir.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My biggest shout out is to my wife and family for supporting me over the years. Starting businesses and raising a family are not easy tasks. There have been many low and many high points and each of these have taught me many lessons good and bad, that have helped me grow as a person, father, and in business. My wife has been so supportive and understanding during this process and while I was putting in long hours to grow this dream. Some of my biggest lessons learned would have to be, understanding that you can’t do it alone, finding ways to reduce stress because it’s not healthy, and to treat others how you expect to be treated.

Website: www.vailbrewingco.com

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